The representative dishes of governmental Hunan cuisine are group-an Hunan cuisine, such as group-an tofu, group-an shark's fin, etc.; the representative dishes of folk Hunan cuisine are chili pepper stir-fry, chopped pepper fish head, Xiangxi grandmother's dish, Jishou sour meat, beef noodle, Hengyang fish noodle, Qifengdu fish noodle, Dong'an chicken, goldfish playing lotus, Yongzhou duck, Jiuyi mountain rabbit, Ningyuan stuffed bean curd and so on.
The Hunan cuisine has always emphasized the importance of matching the ingredients with each other and the mutual penetration of flavors. Hunan cuisine is especially flavored with spices. Due to its geographical location, Hunan has a mild and humid climate, so people like to eat chili peppers to refresh themselves and remove dampness. At the same time, stir-frying is also a specialty of Hunan people.
Centered in Changsha, Hengyang and Xiangtan, it is the main representative of Hunan cuisine. It is finely made with a wide range of ingredients, varied flavors and many varieties. It is characterized by: heavy oil and thick color, affordable, and focusing on sour and spicy, fragrant and fresh, soft and tender in taste.